Welcome to the High Polymer Research Group (HPRG). We exist to promote polymer science, broadly defined, through the organisation of annual conferences which are currently held at Pott Shrigley in the Peak District, a picturesque part of Northern England. The HPRG is a non-profit-making charitable organisation that has organised the series of high-level international conferences extending over fifty years. The first 43 years of meetings were held in Moretonhampstead, Devon.
The HPRG conference attracts active participation from academia and industry from around the world, with a diverse representation of age and experience. Full and frank exchange of ideas is a characteristic of the meetings and we make room in the programme for such exchange, with no records or proceedings being made or published so that novel and unpublished results can be freely discussed. Colleagues are requested not to make public reference to discussions that take place to allow a free exchange of views.
As one of few meetings with a 50-year plus pedigree, the HPRG meeting has a number of traditions, but we are always very open to suggestions from the community regarding scientific topics that might form that basis of future meetings and possible improvements we could make. We are particularly keen for the next generation of polymer scientists worldwide to engage with the meeting, and are exploring the possibility of funding some bursaries to assist such early career researchers, since this has been the secret to keeping it vibrant for so long.
In 2026 our 64th meeting is entitled "Polymers for an Increasingly Challenging World", and will bring together academic researchers and industrialists to explore the key role of polymer science in responding to contemporary global challenges. The programme encompasses a broad spectrum of themes, including sustainable polymers and formulations, along with the design of smart and responsive materials. Sessions will explore the role of polymers in water purification and environmental remediation, the industrial innovations driving the production of new sustainable materials, and emerging applications of polymers in medicine and biotechnology. The conference will also examine the digitisation and automation of polymer synthesis, next-generation polymer technologies with applications in energy storage and electronics, and the implications of polymers on human health, including the detection and impact of environmental nanoplastics. Please see our provisional programme for more details.
Professor Dame Athene Donald DBE, FRS.
